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SERMON 


WITCH CHAFT, 


PREACHED IN THE 


PARISH CHURCH OF GREAT PAXTON, 

IN THE COUNTY OF HUNTINGDON, 

JULY 17, 1808. 


WITH 

A BRIEF ACCOUNT OF THE CIRCUMSTANCES 

WHICH LED TO 


TWO ATROCIOUS ATTACKS ON THE PERSON OF ANN IZZARD, 
AS A REPUTED WITCH. 

BY THE REVEREND ISAAC NICHOLSON, A.M. 

// 



CURATE. 


* l Am I therefore become your enemy, because I tell you the truth ?’* 

GAL. C. 4. V. 16. 


LONDON; 

PRINTED FOR J. MAWMAN, 

1808. 















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/ - - - — — —. . 

G. Woodfall, printer, 
Pate'rnofter-row. 

















A brief Account of the Attack on the Person 
of Ann Izzard, and the Circumstances which 
led to it. 


In the year 1593, an indelible mark of infamy 
was stamped upon the inhabitants of Warboys, 
in the county of Huntingdon, for their folly 
and wickedness in carrying to trial, and after¬ 
wards to execution, three of their unfortunate 
parishioners, for the alleged offence of witch¬ 
craft. The better informed part of the com¬ 
munity may believe that the doctrine of witch¬ 
craft has been long exploded, and that it does 
not, in this enlightened age, disgrace even the 
lowest orders of the people of England; but the 
following statement of facts, will convince them 
of their mistake, and, allowing for the difference 
of science and civilization, will shew that Great 
Paxton, in the same county, is more than upon 
a level with Warboys for ignorance, credulity, 
and barbarity. 

In the afternoon of Wednesday the seven¬ 
teenth of February last, Alice Brown, a young 
woman of Great Paxton, imprudently ventured 
to cross the ice which then covered the surface 


11 


of the Ouse. A thaw of some hours had ren¬ 
dered the ice unsafe, and she had not walked 
many yards upon it, before it gave way and let 
her into the river. From this perilous situation 
she providentially extricated herself, and reached 
the opposite bank, where her friend Fanny 
Amey, scarcely less terrified than herself at 
what had happened, stood anxiously waiting for 
her. Shivering and frightened she hastened to 
her father’s house, about a quarter of a mile 
from the river, and almost as soon as she en¬ 
tered it, was seized with a strong epileptic fit. 
Fanny Amey had been subject to epilepsy for 
several months previous to this period, and 
therefore it is not at all surprising, that she 
should be sympathetically affected, and fall into 
similar convulsions. 

Alice Brown did not speedily get over the 
effects of her fright: her distressing fits returned 
at short intervals, and disqualified her for every 
kind of work; indeed she was so much reduced 
by them, that her friends began to despair of 
her recovery. Inquiring after the state of her 
health on the 5th of April, I was astonished 
and grieved to hear from her brother, that her 
fits, weakness, and dejection were ascribed to 
the effect of witchcraft. “ She is under an ill 
“ tongue,” said the youth. “ As sure as you 
“ are alive, Sir,” continued a man, who stood 
by, “ she is bewitched, and so are two other 


Ill 


V girls that live near her. There is a man in 
“ the town I come from in Bedfordshire, who 
<c was exactly like Alice Brown—he could 
“ do no work, lost all his strength, and was 
“ wasting away very fast, when a person told 
“ him what was the matter with him, and how 
c< he might be cured. He fdled a bottle with a 
“ particular kind of a fluid, stuffed the cork both 
“ top and bottom, with pins, set it carefully 
“ in an oven of a moderate heat, and then ob- 
“ served a profound silence. In a few minutes 
cc the charm succeeded; for, he saw a variety 
of forms flitting before his eyes, and amongst 
the rest the perfect resemblance of an old 
“ woman who lived in the same parish. This 
“ was what he wanted—he was now satisfied 
“ who it was that had injured him, and that 
f( her reign would soon be over. r lhe woman, 
“ whose figure be saw, died in a few days, and 
“ the man immediately recovered. Thomas 
“ Brown tried this charm last night for his 
“ daughter, and though a strange noise was 
V distinctly heard twice by his wife, who was 
“ in bed with the poor girl, it did not succeed 
“ according to our wishes; so thev have not at 
u present found out, who it is that does all the 
“ mischief.” 

If I was shocked at this man’s absurdity and 
superstition, I'was infinitely more so to under¬ 
stand, it was the general opinion of the people, 



IV 


that Alice Brown, Fanny Amey, and Mary Fox 
v/ere certainly bewitched by some person who 
had purchased a familiar, or an evil spirit of the 
devil at the expence of his own soul; and that 
a variety of charms and experiments had been 
tried to discover who it was. 

When the public service of the day was over, 
I called on Fanny Amey and Alice Brown. It 
was not in my power to judge from the coun¬ 
tenance of the former, that any thing was the 
matter with her; she was perfectly collected, 
and looked the picture of health. Alice Brown 
was asleep in bed, and therefore I did not see 
her. At both houses, I endeavoured to explain 
to the relations and friends of the young women, 
that it was an utter impossibility for one human 
creature to injure ti e health of another by any 
invisible and preternatural process,—entreated 
them to discountenance notions so wild and ir¬ 
rational, and begged them to try other means 
than senseless charms to recover their chil¬ 
dren. 

A few minutes before I went into church on 
the following Sunday, Ann Izzard, a poor woman 
of Great Paxton, requested leave to speak with 
me. In tears, and greatly agitated, she told 
me, her neighbours pretended they had disco¬ 
vered by means of certain charms that she wa§ 
a witch, and blamed her for the fits and illness 
of Alice Brown, Fanny Amey, and Mary Fox; 


V 


slie said, they threatened to punish her, abused 
her children, and frightened her so much that 
she frequently dropped on the ground in faint¬ 
ing fits; and concluded with asserting her inno¬ 
cence in these words:—“ I am not a witch, 
i( and am willing to prove it by being weighed 
“ against the church bible*,” 

After the sermon, I addressed the congrega¬ 
tion upon the subject, pointed out the folly of 
their opinions, the fatal consequences which 
might result from brooding over them, and tried 
to persuade them, that, although they might 
be weak enough to suppose there was no harm 
in laying violent hands on a woman, they madly 
called a witch, yet the laws of their country 
would view their conduct in a very different 
light. 

But, argument, explanation, and remon¬ 
strance, were in vain; the mania had taken full 
possession of them, and was only to be cured, 
or restrained by the powerful arm of the 
law. 

On Thursday the fifth o** May, Ann Izzard 
was at St. Neots market; and it so happened 
that her son, about sixteen years old, was sent 
the same day to St. Neots, by his master, a re- 

* Ann Izzard is a little woman, about sixty years of age, 
and by no means ill looking: she has had eight children; 
five are now living. 


VI 


spectable farmer* of Great Paxton, for a load 
of corn. When he returned, his mother and 
another woman accompanied him. Contrary to 
the better advice of her neighbour, the latter 
insisted upon putting a basket of grocery upon 
the top of the sacks of corn. One of the horses 
which drew the cart, was young and unmanage¬ 
able, and in going down the hill which leads 
into the village of Paxton, by his plunging and 
restiveness, overturned it. By this unfortunate 
accident the shopkeeper’s grocery was materi¬ 
ally damaged; and, because Ann Izzard had re¬ 
peatedly advised her not to put the basket upon 
the sacks, she charged her with overturning the 
cart by means of her infernal art, on purpose to 
spoil her goods. It will scarcely be credited, 
that in an hour after, the whole parish was in 
an uproar: “ She has just overturned a loaded 
“ cart, with as much ease as if it had been a 
et spinning wheel,” was echoed from one end of 
it to the other. Men, women, and children 
raised their voices, and exclaimed, “ we have 
“ now proof positive of her guilt—this last act 

* John Bidwell, the person here alluded to, and his wife, 
have been the steady friends of Ann Izzard in her affliction. 
They have been very instrumental in keeping her from the 
horrors of despair. Instead of being commended, however, 
they have been abused and pointed at for their humanity.-?— 
3}e ft so now—this will prove no bar to their good \actions 
being recorded, to their everlasting honour, at the trjbunaj 
of God. 



VII 


c - in open day speaks for itself—she is the per- 
“ son that does all the mischief, and if some- 
f< thing is not done to put a stop to her base- 
“ ness, there will be no living in the place.”— 
Nor, did this extraordinary fit of phrenzy ter¬ 
minate till they had made two attacks upon her, 
which, atrocious as they appear to me, are con¬ 
sidered by themselves as not only justifiable, 
but highly meritorious. The dark and unia- 
structed Catfrarian, would look upon such ac¬ 
tions as a perpetual scandal to himself, and an 
everlasting disgrace to his country. 

A considerable number of people assembled 
together, as it grew dark on Sunday evening the 
eighth of May, and taking with them the young 
women ridiculously supposed to be bewitched, 
about ten o’clock proceeded to the cottage of 
Wright Izzard, which stands alone, at some 
distance from the body of the village. When 
they arrived at this solitary spot, so favourable 
for the execution of their villainous designs, 
they broke into the poor man’s house, dragged 
his wife out of bed, and threw her naked into 
the yard ; where, her arms were torn with pins, 
her head was dashed against the large stones of 
the causeway—and her face, stomach, and breast 
were severely bruised with a thick stick that 
served as a bar to the door. Having thus sati¬ 
ated themselves, the mob dispersed. The wo- 
pi*an then crawled into her house, put her clothes 


viii 


on, and went to the constable, who said, “ he 
(( could not protect her, because he was not 
<e sworn.” The humanity, protection, and 
assistance, which she could not find at the con¬ 
stable’s, very happily for herself, she found un¬ 
der the roof of a poor widow. The compassi¬ 
onate and honest Alice Russel unlocked her 
door at the first, call, wrapped up her neighbour’s 
bleeding arms with the nicest linen rags she had, 
affectionately sympathized with and comforted 
her, and gave her a bed. But, with the deep¬ 
est grief I relate it, the compassion and kind¬ 
ness of this poor woman, were the means of 
shortening her days. “ The protectors of a 
“ witch, are just as bad as the witch, and de- 
“ serve the same treatment,” cried the infatu¬ 
ated populace the next morning. The enve¬ 
nomed shaft flew direct to its mark,—and, the 
widow Russel, neither eat, nor slept again.* 

In the evening of Monday the ninth of May, 
Aim Izzard was a second time dragged out of 
her house, and a second time were her arms 
torn with pins till they streamed afresh with 
blood. Alive the next morning, and apparently 
likely to survive this attack also, her enemies 
resolved to have her ducked, as soon as the la- 

The widow Russel lived nearly twelve years in my house; 
during that time I experienced many proofs of her punctu- 
ality, fidelity, and honesty: she died, a martyr to fear and 

apprehension, on Friday the twentieth of May. 

G 


IX 


bour of the clay was over. On hearing this, 
she hastily quitted her home, and took refuge 
in a neighbouring village,* where their inhu¬ 
manity and malevolence could not reach her. 

ISAAC NICHOLSON, 

Little Paxton , 

July 25th, 1808, 

* I have been repeatedly told, that eleven people out of 
twelve in this neighbourhood, condemn me for taking Ann 
Jzzard into my house; or, in their language, for “ harbour¬ 
ing such a wretch.” 

The day after I preached upon the subject of witchcraft, 
the following short dialogue passed between two elderly men; 
the one a parishioner of Little Paxton, the other of St. 
Neots. 

Abraham, [of Little Paxton.] I say, Richard, you was at 
our church yesterday. [Richard was very un¬ 
willing to own it.] I say, Richard, I know 
you was, there. 

Richard. Well, I was—what of that? 

Abraham. I knew what the parson intended to be at—I 
knew he would tell a parcel of confounded lies, 
so I would not go. 

Richard. You are right—he did it rarely—I never heard 
a man tell such lies in all my life—but ‘we let 
him go on !* 

This conversation was not deficient in point of disgusting 
oaths and curses. If eleven out of twelve resemble Abra¬ 
ham and Richard, I must ackuqwledge it is a matter of per¬ 
fect indifference to me, whether they approve or condemn 
me for shewing compassion to a fellow creature in distress. 
P It may be that the Lord will requite me good for their 
pursing*.” 

* % Sam.c. 16. v. 12, 
























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A SERMON. 


1 SAMUEL, C. 28, V. 11. 

“ Then said the woman, whom shall I bring up 
unto thee ? and he said , bring me up Samuel. ” 

Early imbibed opinions and deep rooted pre¬ 
judices, are hard to be eradicated from the 
human mind. Man is so much a creature of 
habit, that, if he has for any length of time 
been under the delusion of misrepresentation 
and error, the voice of reason will make no 
impression upon him, neither will he be affected 
by the plain and forcible language of truth.— 
This inveterate blindness of prejudice, is at once 
to be lamented, and pitied. There is another 
sort of blindness, which has no claim to similar 
treatment. Men cannot be too severely re¬ 
proved for shutting their eyes at noonday, and 
then saying they cannot see: they cannot be 
too sharply censured for persisting in error, con¬ 
trary to conviction, because it either suits their 
present interest, or is agreeable to their perverse 
inclinations. % This voluntary darkness is the 



2 


deformed offspring of vice, and is particularly 
disgraceful to the Christian character. How 
shameful, how detestable was the behaviour of 
those Jews, who stood by and saw the miracles 
of Christ, and yet denied he wrought them by 
the power he received from God ! Ye justly 
condemn them for gainsaying the evidence of 
sense—ye deplore their hardness of heart and 
obstinate unbelief, and lament the awful and 
melancholy effects of them. But ye must not 
stop here: ye ought to profit by their miserable 
example, and guard against the fatal vice that 
ruined them. Their fall should teach you, that 
it is criminal, and consequently dangerous, in 
matters where the honour of God, or the ever¬ 
lasting interest of man is concerned, to refuse 
to be convinced by good and sound reasoning; 
it should remind you, that it is an essential part 
of your duty, to listen, with seriousness and a 
teachable disposition, to the instruction of those 
who are more learned, and better informed than 
yourselves; and, that ye ought to pay a proper 
respect and deference to their opinions upon 
questions of doubt or difficulty, especially when 
ye have sufficient cause to believe, that neither 
expectation of gain, nor hypocrisy, nor a desire 
to flatter the opinions of the great and powerful, 
warps their judgment, and prompts them to 
write, or speak the thing that is not, instead of 
the thing that is. 


3 


There are not many points In the character of 
the first king of Israel which merit'our com¬ 
mendation. Intoxicated with the power to 
which he was suddenly and unexpectedly ele¬ 
vated, he became arrogant and tyrannical.—- 
Secure, as the pride and vanity of his heart 
taught him to imagine, in the possession of his 
kingdom, he presumed, from motives of worldly 
policy, to disobey the express command of that 
mighty being who placed the diadem on his 
head, and who views with equal displeasure and 
concern, the improper conduct of the monarch 
on his throne, and the meanest peasant in his 
cottage. Omnipotence looked with anger upon 
his disobedience and ingratitude, and in terms 
which manifested his indignation, said to his 
ever faithful servant Samuel, “ it repenteth me 
“ that I have set up Saul to be king; for he is 
“ turned back from following me, and hath not 
“ followed my commandments. And it grieved 
* e Samuel: and he cried unto the Lord all 
“ night*.” 

In the morning, when Samuel communicated 
these unwelcome tidings to him, Saul at first 
attempted to defend and excuse himself; but, 
soon overpowered by the pointed arguments of 
the holy man, and convicted, on a moment’s 
reflection, by his own guilty conscience, he 


* 1 Samuel, c. 15. v. !!• 


4 


quickly exclaimed. “ I have sinned : for I have 
“ transgressed the commandment of God, and 
“ thy words; because I feared the people, and 
(i obeved their voice. Now, therefore, I pray 
“ thee, pardon my sin, and turn again with 
<c me, that I may worship the Lord. And Sa- 
“ muel said unto Saul, I will not return with 
“ thee: for thou hast rejected the word of the 
“ Lord, and the Lord hath rejected thee from 
“ being king over Israel*.” From the time 
when he delivered this painful message, “ Sa- 
“ muel came no more to see Saul until the day 
u of his deathf;” nevertheless, when he looked 
at the pomp and splendour with which the king 
was encircled, and then reflected how soon he 
would be hurled from the proud pre-eminence, 
the tender heart of the venerable prophet over¬ 
flowed with compassion, and he mourned and 
lamented for him. 

Not long after the event had taken place, that 
deprived him of his honest counsellor and up¬ 
right friend, the storm of affliction began to 
beat heavily upon Saul: the banner of David 
had been already unfurled—there had been 
already a division in Israel—and his old ene¬ 
mies the Philistines, ever ready to fall upon hint 
when a convenient opportunity offered, collected 
together a large army, “ and came and pitched 


* 1 Sam. c. 15, v. 24—26. 


t 1 Sam. c. 15. v. 35. 


$ 

u in Shunem*.” It was now, that he reviewed 
the effects of his former misconduct with uneasy 
sensations and painful apprehensions: in this 
hour of danger, he could not but call to mind 
what Samuel had said to him at their last inter¬ 
view, and be tremblingly alive to the awful re* 
flection that not one of his words would fall to 
the ground unaccomplished. But the circum¬ 
stance, which completely buried the thorn in 
his breast, and made it impossible for human 
art to reach it, was this; he earnestly sought, 
and inquired of the Lord, but no regard was 
paid to his supplications and inquiries,—“ the 
“ Lord answered him not, neither by dreams, 
“ nor by Urim, nor by prophetst-” His cup 
of affliction could hold no more. With inward 
grief and disquietude, he went to the top of 
Mount Gilboa; and, although it is but due to 
his courage to believe that he would be careful 
not to dispirit his men by any outward sym¬ 
ptoms of dismay, yet the sacred historian relates, 
that as soon as he took a view of the army of 
his enemies, “ he was afraid, and his heart 
“ greatly trembledJ:” not so much, we may be 
sure, on account of the strength and number 
of the Philistines, as, because he felt conscious 
from the silent neglect he had experienced, that 

* 1 Sam. t, 28. v. 4. f 1 Sam. c, 28. v. 6 . 

X 1 Sam. c. 28. v. 5. 

B 


6 


in the ensuing contest the God of hosts would 
fight against him. 

In this pitiable state of uncertainty and fear¬ 
ful anticipation, not far removed perhaps from 
that fatal despair which seized him on the loss 
of the battle in Gilboa, and the death of his 
excellent and beloved son Jonathan, and his 
brothers Abmadab and Malchisliuah, who fell in 
it, he commanded his servants to seek for him a 
woman that was mistress of the art of necro¬ 
mancy, or as it is in our translation, “ a woman 
“ that had a familiar spirit*/’ that he might go 
to, and try to obtain some consoling and fa¬ 
vourable information from her. 

Before I proceed with the history it'will be 
right to make a few observations upon this in¬ 
accurate and misleading term “ familiar spirit:’* 
and whilst I am endeavouring to convince you, 
that it ought never to have been used, I will do 
all in my power by the choice of as plain and 
easy language, as the nature of the subject will 
admit of, to make you understand the true 
sense and meaning of the passage in the ori¬ 
ginal. 

The old testament, as most of you have heard, 
was written in Hebrew, the language of the Jews, 
to whom “ were committed the oracles of Godf. ” 
It is a great blessing, for which we cannot be 


* 1 Sam. c. 28v V. 7. + Romans, c. 3. r.l 


7 


too thankful, that through the learning and 
labours of some of our countrymen, we are 
enabled to read the bible in our native tongue. 
On this account, however, we ought by no 
means to throw aside the original, or be pre¬ 
vented from looking into it, especially in cases 
where our translation, valuable as it is upon the 
whole, seems to involve some difficulty or in¬ 
correctness. It is very remarkable, but not 
more so than true, that the term “ familiar 
4 ‘ spirit” has no word in the original to answer 
it: I may likewise add, that neither the trans¬ 
lation of Mon tan us, nor the vulgate, nor the 
septuagint, nor the Latin interpretation thereof, 
will bear any thing like such a construction. (1) 


00 


Versio Vulg. Lat. 
mulierem habentem pythonem. 


Pythonis dominatn mulierem 

Ob bahalat eshet. 

Versio Graeca LXX. 


Interp. cum translation Latina, 
mulierem ventriloquam. 



niK ob. Pytho. It. utres—Hinc Pythonis significatio, quod ex 
ventre quasi utre oracula depromeret: unde et 
dicuntur. 


Castell. Vol. 1. p. 53 . 


S 1 K ob. Pytho, Item utres, unde miW ce-obot, sicut utres. 
Hinc Pythonis significatio juxta Aben Esram, quod 
ex tumido ventre, quasi utre, oracula deponeret. lade 
et dictus fuit. 


B 3 


Buxtorf 


In English only is the term to be found. The 
game observation will very nearly apply to the 
terms “ witch and wizard.” How did this 
happen? Was it by accident or design—through 
real or affected ignorance? Ye all know how 
agreeable it is to your employers, to see the work 
they put into your hands well executed, and 
exactly according to their taste; whenever ye 
do this, ye are sure of their approbation and 
future encouragement The translation which 
we use, was made in the distant reign of king 
James the first. James was deeply tinctured 
with the superstition of the age, and in the 
former part of his life a great believer in the 
absurd and groundless doctrine of witchcraft. 
The translators could not be ignorant of this, 
and it is much to be feared it had an undue in¬ 
fluence upon their minds: for, they must either 
have entertained similar ridiculous opinions, and 

Robertson in his Hebrew concordance copies Buxtorf, and 
tdds, “ homo, per quem spiritus impurus loquitur, et ipse quoque 
apiritus sic loquens, aiN vocatur.” But we cease to wonder at 
this, when we recollect that Robertson wrote in an age parti¬ 
cularly famous for idle notions concerning devils, familiar spirits 
and witchcraft.—His concordance was published in 1680. 

jiVrn bahalat Domina: a potitus est re; plenam in earn po- 
testatem habuit. 

Castell. Vol. 1. p. 398. 

dominatus est, dominium habuit, 

Buxtorf. 


so have disingenuously given a sense, in harmony 
with their mistaken ideas upon the subject, ra¬ 
ther than with the Hebrew; or, they must have 
introduced the terms “ familiar spirit, witch, 
“ and wizard,” with a view to flatter the idle no¬ 
tions of royalty. The king, it is said, lived long 
enough to see his error, and to retract those 
opinions which he found on farther examination 
to be without foundation, either in scripture or 
in common sense. But unfortunately the trans¬ 
lation was finished, and a copy of it read in 
every church in England: and thus, the poor 
and uninformed were, and are to this day, mis¬ 
led by expressions, unwarranted by the Hebrew, 
and calculated only to keep alive the embers of 
that consuming fire, which was lighted by the 
torch of superstition, and raged most furiously 
during the long night of catholic darkness,—or 
to feed the easily vitiated fancies of those who 
delight in the mysterious, the marvellous, and 
the incomprehensible; things, for which the 
lower orders have always betrayed the strongest 
propensity. A sorrowful and melancholy proof 
of this fact, strongly marks the religious, I 
might with more propriety say, the irreligious 
state of our country at this time: for, the der 
signing sect of experienced visionaries, with 
external countenances of publican humility, and 
internal hearts of pharisaical righteousness and 
pride, artfully foster this popular fondness and 


10 


predilection for the wonderful, and thus suc¬ 
cessfully propagate their pernicious principles of 
fanaticism; and, by false and deluding repre¬ 
sentations of their elisium of faith, surprise, be¬ 
wilder, and proselyte the common people.— 
Thousands and thousands are in this manner 
drawn into the net, as they were of old into the 
snare of the vile impostor at Rome, or of the 
arch hypocrite at Mecca; and as the opinions 
of these two grand deceivers once divided, and 
ruined the world, so now, the false religion of 
the present fanatics of England, threatens to in¬ 
volve our national establishment and vital Chris¬ 
tianity, in one general and indiscriminate de¬ 
struction. Every thing, therefore, that has the 
least tendency to increase this overgrown and 
dangerous mass of delusion and mischief, ought 
instantly to be got rid of, as fatal to the cause 
of truth, injurious to the well-being of society, 
and hateful to God. 

„ The Hebrew words, in the passage of scrip¬ 
ture under examination, translated “ a woman 
“ that hath a familiar spirit,” might with infi¬ 
nitely more propriety have been rendered tc a 
woman that hath full power over any thing ca¬ 
pable of being inflated with air;” the leather 
bottle, for instance, of the ancients, or a bladder, 
or the belly. A proper knowledge of this, will 
throw some light on the dark and mysterious 
character of the necromancer, and unfold the 
1 


II 


secret of his deceptive art. For, in consequence 
of much use, aided perhaps by a particular or¬ 
ganization of the stomach, there are people, 
who can deceive us in a way that is truly curi¬ 
ous and surprising, and which might, without 
much difficulty, be passed upon the credulous 
and unsuspicious, as the effect of preternatural 
agency. These people, with great ease, can 
manage their voice so as to give it the appear¬ 
ance of issuing from the middle of the body, 
from an object that is near, or from the ground. 
Nor is this all:—by a nice imitation they can 
make the sound that strikes the ear of the by¬ 
stander, resemble the piercing cry of helpless 
infancy, the loud and strong tone of healthy 
manhood, or the feeble and tremulous note of 
debilitated age. 

The seventy, in their translation have used 
two words* which accurately define the meaning 
of the Hebrew—“ a woman that hath the power 
of speaking out of the belly ;”and the Latin word 
corresponding, is ventrilcquus, which, with the 
alteration of one letter, and the addition of 
another, ha s become English and is in common 
use amongst us. If, as it is generally believed, 
the authors of the septuagint, or of the Greek 
translation of the pentateuch, were Jews, it is 
but reasonable to suppose they understood their 
native language, and that they would be as 
correct as possible in their Greek, and it seems 


12 


equally reasonable to conclude from their trans^ 
lation, which cannot be easily made to signify 
an evil or a familiar spirit, that they looked up¬ 
on this woman as uniting the powers of the 
ventriloquist, with the art of the necromancer. 

In the thirty-secopd chapter and nineteenth 
verse of the poetical book of the upright Job, 
ye will find him thus addressing his irritating 
friends: “behold, my belly is as wine which 
“ hath no vent, it is ready to burst like new 
“ bottles. I will speak that I may be refresh- 
“ ed.” (2). There is nothing here about fami¬ 
liar spirits; and yet the very word which in this 
place is translated bottles, is at least twelve 
times in other parts of the bible translated ‘ fa- 

( 2 ) 

VP* run 

bithni hinneh 
miio nna» xb 
ce-obot jippatech lo ce-jain 
rpa* o’ttnn 
jibbakang chadashim 

Ecce venter meus tanquam 
vinum, non aperieturj Bicut utres 
novi disrumpetur. 

Job. 32. v. la 

111310 ce-obot like bottles, not familiar spirits. There would 
have been no impropriety, if the word in this place had 
been translated, « like the belly of the ventriloquist.” 


Versio Vulg. Lat. 

En venter meus quasi mus. 
turn absque spiraculo, quod la- 
gunculas novas disrumpit. 



13 


miliar spirits.’ This instance will shew that I do 
not impose upon you, when I say that the trans¬ 
lators might, without the least impeachment of 
their learning, have abstained from the use of a 
term, which has done incalculable mischief, by 
puzzling or poisoning the minds of millions of 
their fellow-creatures. 

In the twenty-ninth chapter of Isaiah, the 
prophet, when foretelling the heavy judgements 
that were coming upon Jerusalem, in the words 
of our translation thus expresses himself;— 
“ thou shalt be brought down, and shall speak 
ic out of the ground, and thy speech shall be 
“ low out of the dust, and thy voice shall be as 
ic one that hath a familiar spirit, out of the 
“ ground, and thy speech shall whisper out of 
■ c the dust.” The unnecessary, and improper 
introduction of the term, “ a familiar spirit,” 
into this passage, throw r s a shade of darkness 
over it, and renders the meaning unintelligible; 
nay, it does infinitely worse; it propagates no¬ 
tions derogatory to the honour and truth of the 
most high: for, if there ever was a person in 
the world, who by means of an infernal or fami¬ 
liar spirit, had it in his power to he the imme¬ 
diate author of sickness, or of any other sort of 
evil, then has the Almighty by means of this 
same eminent prophet, been guilty of uttering 
some very shameful and palpable falsehoods.— 
Hear his own words;—“ I am the Lord, and 


14 


** there is none else, there is no God besides 
11 me; I girded thee, though thou hast not 
“ known me: that they may know from the 
“ rising of the sun, and from the west, that 
“ there is none beside me, I am the Lord, and 
4t there is none else: I form the light, and 
u create darkness; I make peace, and create 
46 evil; I the Lord do all these things*.” But 
what avail God’s own words, when men will not 
listen? Until Jerusalem, its temple, its stately 
buildings, and lofty walls, were all razed to the 
ground, and not one stone left upon another: 
until famine, and the sword of Titus, had wasted 
and destroyed eleven hundred thousand inhabi¬ 
tants of that devoted city, the prophetic and 
warning words of Christ concerning that woe¬ 
ful catastrophe, were disregarded, or treated 
with scorn and contempt. In like manner, ye 
turn a deaf ear to the voice of truth, and put 
implicit faith in the very things ye are com¬ 
manded to disbelieve and refuse, namely, “ pro- 
4i fane and old wives’ fables:” Ye madly step 
out of yourselves, assume a character that be¬ 
longs not to man, and boldly give the lie to 
God. Ye impiously assert, that the devil can 
communicate a power to you, in consequence of 
which, ye shall immediately hold in your hands 
the issues of life, and ever after be able, by 


* Ieaiah, c. 45, v. 5, 6 y 7 . 


15 


some invisible process, to rob your neighbours 
of God’s best blessings, health and peace of 
mind. God tells you, “ that he creates evil— 
<c that he killeth and maketh alive—that he 
“ bringeth down to the grave, and lifteth up— 
t{ that he maketh rich and maketh poor—that 
cc he alone doeth all these things.” This ye 
deny; and unblushingly declare that the devil 
or any of his agents can, and do afflict and tor¬ 
ment whomsoever they ’choose, shielding your** 
selves under a*few inaccurate translations of the 
bible, amongst which may be reckoned the 
above cited passage of Isaiah. But I must tell 
you, that if we translate the Hebrew as we ought, 
as the seventy have, or as an excellent hebraist 
of our own time has done, in his valuable trans¬ 
lation of Isaiah, the prophet will not say a syl¬ 
lable about familiar spirits. 4< Thou shalt be 
“ brought low; thou shalt speak as.from the 
“ darth; and from the dust thou shalt utter a 
u feeble voice; and thy voice, as the voice of 
11 a ventriloquist, (3) shall come out of the 
u ground; ami thy words from the dust shall 
■ l give a small shrill sound*.” This is the spi- 


pKo ano mm' 


(3) 


LXX" 

xut tcrorroci oi (patSyrsf Ik tv; 

yri<; rj (puvv) an 

Et erunt sicut loquentiuna dc 
terra vox tua. 


* Translation of Isaiah, by a Layman, p. 5p. 



rit and meaning of the prophet, and whilst it 
contains nothing obscure, nothing dishonour* 
able to God, it entirely precludes you from 
drawing any argument from it, in favour of your 
wild notions concerning evil or familiar spirits 
taking up their abode with men, and assuming 
a variety of shapes, as circumstances may re* 
quire, for the purpose of the more easily tor¬ 
menting or injuring those, to whom their mas¬ 
ters have an aversion. ’ / 

Perceiving how much the multitude was as¬ 
tonished and deceived by the art he possessed, 
the ventriloquist of Israel launched still farther 
into the regions of deception and imposition, 
and pretended to foretel future events by calling 
the dead from the silent tomb. The observer 
of times, the enchanter, the soothsayer, were all 
treated with due respect and proper reverence; 
but the necromancer, who was supposed to de¬ 
rive his prescience from the communication he 
held with, and the power he had over the dead, 
was entitled, in the estimation of the credulous, 
to superior deference and regard. They might 
also acquire some consequence and importance 
from being few in number; for, ventriloquists 
only could be skilful necromancers. If a man 
was weak enough to consult a professor of this 
description, (and let it be remembered that the 
weakness of the consulter, was the very basis of 
the impostor’s success) he was closely interro- 


17 


gated, though in such a manner as not to create 
suspicion, concerning his circumstances, his fa¬ 
mily, and his future views. This necessary in¬ 
formation being obtained, a solemn preparatory 
silence ensued; then the eye was amused with 
a variety of horrible representations, and the 
understanding confused and bewildered, by a 
rapid repetition of a great many cabalistica! 
words; and lastly, for the purpose of carrying on 
the imposition with the greater facility, the man 
was ordered to stoop, or lay down with his face 
towards the ground. In this posture, and in 
this state of well and carefully excited agitation, 
he heard the voice of the ventriloquist, which 
he mistook for the voice of his departed friend, 
arising as it were out of the earth, in reply to 
the questions he thought fit to propose. From 
his previous knowledge of the consulter’s wishes, 
the necromancer could in general give an apt 
and suitable answer, or one that was capable of 
a double interpretation; at any rate one that 
would flatter and please: and if the event did 
not exactly correspond with the prophetic part 
of it, he, with a great show of reason, placed 
the responsibility, to the account of the person 
he was desired to bring up. 

A prognosticator, or a fortune-telling necro¬ 
mancer of this character, did Saul, in a fit of 
impiety and phrenzy, command his servants to 
find, that he might for ever stamp a mark of 


1 $ 

tin worthiness upon himself, by consulting her, 
and defying God. “ And his servants said 
“ unto him, lo there is a woman skilful in ne- 
“ cromancy at Endoi\” (4) When he heard 
this, Sawl immediately prepared to go to her: 
hut first, being conscious of his criminality, and 
therefore ashamed of what he was about to do, 
he laid aside the apparel of royalty, and ee put 
“ on other raiment, and disguised himself.”— 
How clearly and distinctly does this act speak! 
The midnight robber and assassin disguise them¬ 
selves ; but the honest man, whose actions will 
stand the test of examination, never dreams of 
putting on a mask, never thinks of changing 
his clothes that he may not be known. Do you 
think that Saul ever disguised himself, when he 
asked advice of, or consulted the prophets of 
Jehovah? No. In this case he knew he was 
acting most wickedly, and therefore was natu¬ 
rally anxious the woman should not detect and 
expose him, as encouraging, instead of punish¬ 
ing those, who deluded and cheated the people, 
by practising the well contrived tricks of the 
ingenious and subtle Egyptian. The hour of 
darkness also, is the best season for bad actions; 

(4) 

nVtfl bahalat ob, shews that she was a ventriloquists 
" whom shall I bring up unto thee,” proves her a necroman¬ 
cer. 


19 


accordingly, Saul went to Endor in the night, 
and said to this celebrated impostor, 44 exert 
ec thy skill in necromancy, and bring up to me 
<£ the person whom I shall name unto thee*.” 

Struck with his appearance, and convinced 
by his address, that he was no mean person, she 
thus replies: £< thou knowest what Saul hath 
“done, how die hath cutoff those that have 
4£ familiar spirits, and the wizards, out of the 
£< land;” [or as it should have been, hath extir¬ 
pated out of the land both necromancers and 
soothsayers:] ££ wherefore then layest thou a 
££ snare for my life, to cause me to die. If 
44 you really design me no injury, swear to me 
44 by the God of Israel, that you will not be- 
“ tray me.” 

££ And Saul sware to her by the Lord, saying, 
££ as the Lord liveth, there shall no punishment 
££ happen to thee for this thing.” 

The commands of God to the Israelites, to 
prevent their following the idolatrous and ma¬ 
gical practices of Canaan, are to be found in the 
seventeenth and eighteenth chapters of Deu¬ 
teronomy : ££ When thou art come into the 

44 land which the Lord thy God giveth thee, 
44 saith Moses, thou shalt not learn to do after 
44 the abominations of those nations. There 
44 shall not be found amongst you any one 


l Sam. c. 2S, v. 8. 


20 




lt that maketh his son or his daughter fo pass 
“ through the fire, or that useth divination* 
“ or an observer of times, or an enchanter, 
“ or a witchj or a charmer, or a consulter 
“ with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necro- 
“ mancer. For all that do these things are an 
“ abomination unto the Lord; and because of 
“ these abominations the Lord thy God doth 
li drive them out before thee*.” And in the 
twenty-second chapter of Exodus it is said, 
“ thou shalt not suffer a witch to live.” Here 
we discover the great stumbling blocks of the 
poor, and of those who never think. How 
great a portion of mankind will be included 
under these two heads, cannot easily be deter¬ 
mined; this however is clear and certain—the 
terms witch, witchcraft, wizard, and familiar 
spirit, have given rise to the wildest and most 
extravagant fancies; and on them has been 
erected an immense superstructure of error, 
which, much as it has been undermined by 
the enlightened part of the people of England, 
is still upheld by multitudes of superstitious 
enthusiasts, and therefore still remains a stu¬ 
pendous monument of national weakness, 
ignorance, and disgrace. I have already ex¬ 
plained to you, that there is no Hebrew word 
to answer the term, “ familiar spirit.” The 


Deuteronomy, c. 18, v. 9—-12. 


21 


word, translated “ witch,” (5) means nothing 


fl’nn iBwaa vivificabis non prcestigiatricem. Exodus, c. 22. 
v. 18. 

praestigns usus est (convenit cum qpu; nam oculos pec. 
respicit, hinc per Metath. /3a<7xaivw, fascino) 2 Par. 33. 6. 
Pa. qttOD praestigiator, fascinator, qui praestinguit (obscurat) 
oculos—nauoD Exod. 22. 18. praestigiatrix, quod saepius hoc 
mulierculis reperitur. 

Castell, Vol. 2. p. 1823. 


piaegistiis utens, prasstigiator. Plur. Q'aitOD^i et praesti- 
giatores, Exod. c. 7. v. 11. Fcemin. nsttOD praestigiatricem, 
Exod. c. 22. t. 18. Ab. Esra scribit Exod. 7. O’BttfDD esse, 
qui mutant et transformant res naturales ad aspectum oculi. 

Buxtorf. 

fascinavit, fascinis usus est: auipicatus est. Avienus, prar 
stigiis usus est.—Ab. Esra dicit qtroD est praestigiator, quod 
est levis seu agilis manibus suis; qui tenet oculos, qui notat ho- 
ras quando aliquid est faciendum, et cognitionem habet somnio- 
rum, secuidum dispositionem stellarum; est enim praestigiator 
qui circumstantibus ita oculorum aciem praestringit, i. e. valde 
ttringit aut claudit, vel obtenebrat, ut non advertant dolum, ut 
res aliter videre faciat quam sint; unde praestigium, incantatio, 
delusio, falsa ostentatio, &c. Exod. c. 22. v. 18. nauOD prae- 
atigiatricem, non vivificabis, i. e. sines vivere.—Pagninus: Hebraei 
dicunt tZ3»atton esse qui mutant et transformant res naturales ad 
aspectum oculi. 

Robertson. Heb. Con. p. 442. 

Praestigiae, signifies tricks and delusions—praestigiator, one 
who useth sleight of hand—and praestigiatrix, a female juggler. 

C 


more than a female juggler; “ witchcraft,” (6) 
the art of augury anti divination; and “ wi. 
zard,” ( 7 ) a cunning soothsayer; one, who pre. 

(«) 


HD DDp""n»Dn H quia pcccatum divinationis rebellio.—• 

LXX Interp. Lat. 

*On apct%r\ct bwnppu. tcrnv quoniam peccatum augurium cit, 

Versio Vul. Lat. 

Quoniam quasi peccatum ariolandi 
est, repugnare. 

1 Sam. c. 15. v. 23. 


CD Dp divinatio. Castell. 

ODp divinatio. DDp divinavit. Partic CD’DDp ODp divinans 
divinationes. Deut. 18. 10. 

Buxtorf. 


In the eighteenth chapter of Deuteronomy, and at the tenth 
reise ODp is correctly translated “ divinationin the fifteenth of 
the first of Samuel the same word is incorrectly translated witch* 
craft. * It will not bear the latter sense. 


(V) 


« Xjun»_jiddeoni—arioius, sciolus, futurorum divinator; yi 
scientia; jn* novit.” 

Castell. Vol. 1. p. 1597. 

“ arioius, futurorum divinator, quasi sciolus dictus. Apud 
veteres legitur: Jiddeoni est, qui ponit os animantis, cui nomen 
mT, in os suum, et os illud postea ex sese loquitur, in Cod. Tat- 
mudico Sanhedrin cap. 7. fol. 65.” 

Buxtorf. 

** Avienus generali nomine dicatur augur. Pagninus saepe 
fideas junctum 31N. Haruch distinguit, quod aiK Python ex 
axilla loqueretur, at \njn» ore.” 

Robertson. Heb. Con. p. 296* 
Arioius s’gnifies a diviner or sootlisayer. 


99 


tended to foretel events by signs and omens, 
as you do, who foolishly alarm yourselves 
and others, by ridiculously asserting that the 
liarsh noises of certain kinds of birds, especial¬ 
ly in the night, and the occasional tingling 
of a curious little insect in your rooms, are 
neverfailing forerunners of some terrible ill 
luck, or of approaching death. The serious 
and intelligent Jew held all these impositions 
and lying vanities in the greatest abhorrence 
and detestation; for, they utterly debased the 
mind, and led the people to pay more respect 
to the creature than to the Creator, and tended 
to involve Israel in the darkness of Egypt, or 
of Canaan. Hence, the Sovereign of the 
Universe had commanded the whole race of 
the magicians to be extirpated, and hence, the 
reason of this woman’s reply, who seems acci¬ 
dentally to have escaped the general punish¬ 
ment, and to have been the only necromancer 
of repute in the land. Her fears being allayed 
by the solemn oath of Saul, she said unto him, 

44 whom shall I bring up unto thee? And he 
44 said, bring me up Samuel.” 

Two particular circumstances now demand 
your attention. The first is, that notwith¬ 
standing her pretended superior knowledge* 
by .means of a preternatural communication 
with the dead, she had not the least idea the 
person before her was the king himself. Allow- 
c 9 




Si 


ing that she had never seen him, yet surely 
she must have heard that his figure was unusu¬ 
ally noble and majestic: and as her suspicions 
were awakened on his first appearance, it is 
surprising they were not increased, instead of 
diminished, by farther examination and reflec¬ 
tion. A woman endowed with sense and 
quickness, would in all probability have pene¬ 
trated the shallow disguise of Saul, thrown 
herself at his feet, and sued for mercy. A 
prophetess would indignantly have spurned 
his attempt to deceive her by a change of rai¬ 
ment. 

The next thing is yet more remarkable, 
though a stronger proof perhaps of her being a 
senseless impostor. You would naturally sup¬ 
pose, that the name of Samuel, the bitter enemy 
of the whole tribe of diviners and fortunetellers, 
would have excited a variety of unpleasant 
sensations in her breast; and that she would 
have trembled at the very idea of disturbing 
the ashes of the man, from whom, whilst alive, 
she had taken the greatest pains to conceal 
herself. You would think, that “ bring me 
up Samuel” was sufficient to have flashed con¬ 
viction upon her mind, and to have made her 
sensible at once that such a command could 
have proceeded only from the lips of his friend, 
the king. Quite the reverse; it was a matter 
of perfect indifference to her, who was all the 


25 


time contriving how she might best deceive, 
whether a prince, a beggar, or a prophet, a 
friend or an enemy, was to be the person 
summoned from the grave: every considera¬ 
tion of this kind was lost upon her, till she 
was suddenly rouzed out of the solemnity of 
her artful preparation for abusing the ear of 
her royal consulter, by a phenomenon as un¬ 
usual, as it was alarming and unwelcome. 
Contrary to any thing she expected—contra¬ 
ry to any thing that had ever happened to her 
before, she beheld “ a god-like form'’ approach¬ 
ing, and instantly experienced all those horri¬ 
ble feelings, which characterized the Roman 
soldiers at the tomb of Christ. With an air 
of unruffled self-importance, she desires the 
man to say, who she shall raise; with the ut¬ 
most composure she hears him pronounce the 
name of the distinguished prophet of God, 
and prepares to “bring him up”; and yet, 
the very next moment, when Samuel actually 
appears, as you blasphemously affirm at her 
instance, she starts back with horror at the 
sight, and “ screams out with a loud voice”— 
quickly the fdm dropped from her eyes, as the 
miracle proclaimed the presenceof the king—and 
in the agony of her heart she abruptly exclaim¬ 
ed, “ thou hast deceived me—thou art Saul*.”— 


* 1 Sam. c. 28. f. 12, 


26 


Needs there a single comment to shew, that 
this woman was an impostor? needs there a 
word to prove, that her art consisted wholly 
in fraud and delusion? 

If the necromancer was surprised and asto^ 
nished at the sight of Samuel, the king was 
not less so at her extraordinary behaviour, and 
unexpected discovery of himself: t nor was it, 
till he had encouraged and tranquillized her, 
that he could prevail on her to declare what 
it was that so much frightened and discon¬ 
certed her. “ Be not afraid,” said he: “ my 
oath is sacred, and your life is safe: tell me 
therefore what thou seest.” On this she took 
courage, and answered, “ I see a god-like fi- 
“ gure ascending out of the earth. And he 
“ said unto her, what form is he of? And 
“ she said, an old man corneth up; and he is 
et covered with a mantle. And Saul perceived 
41 that it v 7 as Samuel, and he stooped with his 
“ face to the ground, 'and bowed himself, 
il And Samuel said to Saul, v'hy hast thou 
u disquieted me, to bring me up? And Saul 
lt answered, I am sore distressed ; for the Phi- 
“ listines make war against me, and God is 
1 ■ departed from me, and answereth me no 
4 ‘more, neither by prophets, nor by dreams; 
i( therefore I have called thee, that thou mayest 
“ make known unto me what I shall do. Then 
“ said Samuel, wherefore then dost thou ask 


27 


u of me, seeing the Lord is departed from 
u thee, and is become thine enemy? And the 
“ Lord hath done to him, as he spake by me; 
“ for the Lord hath rent the kingdom out of 
“ thine hand, and given it to thine neigh- 
“ bour, even to David : because thou obeyedst 
“ not the voice of the Lord, nor executedst his 
“ fierce wrath upon Amalek, therefore hath 
“ the Lord done this thing unto thee this day. 
“ Moreover the Lord will also deliver Israel 
*‘ with thee into the hand of the Philistines: 
“ and to morrow shalt thou and thy sons be 
1 * with me: the Lord also shall deliver the 
“ host of Israel into the hand of the Phi- 
“ listines*.” 

This is one of the most singular and remark¬ 
able interpositions of the Deity, recorded in 
the old testament; nevertheless, through the 
weakness and ignorance of some, and the in¬ 
terested designs of others, the miracle has been 
taken from God, and ascribed to the power of 
the Devil, vested in the hands of a female ven¬ 
triloquist. Never was a supposition so dis¬ 
graceful to men, who bear the name of Chris¬ 
tians—never was any thing so insulting to the 
honour and majesty of Heaven! There is not 
even a shadow of an excuse for such an ab¬ 
surd, such an extravagant, such an infa- 

* 1 Samuel, c. 28. r. 13—19. 


f 


28 


mously impious opinion. The history satisfac¬ 
torily and fully explains itself, and shews who 
was the author of the miracle. The words, 
“ therefore hath the Lord done this thing unto. 
“ thee this day,” ought to have removed every 
cavil, and silenced every doubt. Not the wo¬ 
man, not the devil, but “ the Lord hath sent 
“me to forewarn thee, what is coming upon' 
“ thee,” “because thou disobeyedst his com- 
“ mand, by not executing his fierce wrath 
“upon the Amalekites.” Every thing, like¬ 
wise, that Samuel said upon this memorable 
occasion, was literally fulfilled in the face of 
the world. The devil, therefore, could have 
nothing to do with any part of this transaction: 
had he been the principal in it, the king 
would have been flattered and comforted, but 
deceived with falsehoods—not cut to the heart 
by truths, which threw him “suddenly, his 
whole length, on the ground*,” and deprived 
him for a time, both of his strength and his 
senses. 

But, granting the devil had nothing to do 
with this matter, ye ask me, in the language of 
confidence, whether he did not communicate 
a portion of his power to Simon Magus, and 
whether the people of Samaria were not, in 
consequence, very great sufferers? Without 


* 1 Samuel, c. 28. v. 20. 


29 


the least hesitation I answer, neither one, nor 
the other. The devil had nothing more to 
do with the sleight of hand tricks and de¬ 
ceptions of the artful magician of Samaria, 
than he had with the “ bringing up of Samuel”, 
and the fictitious prophesying of the necroman¬ 
cer of Endor. Simon, no doubt, was an expert 
juggler, and probably a skilful ventriloquist, 
but he neither afflicted the people with bodily 
sickness, nor did he possess a single particle 
of preternatural power. The original ought 
not to have been translated as ye read it; 
there is no Greek word in the passage alluded 
to, that can with the least propriety be 
construed “ bewitched” (8). A late very emi¬ 
nent scholar translates it accurately, as fol¬ 
lows: “now a certain man, named Simon, 
“ had been some time in that city astonish- 
“ ing the nations of Samaria, with his magic, 
4< pretending that he was some great person,” 

( 8 ) 

S Ayr,£ ot rt; tvofxovri Ja/auv vt Trl vrohH (AOtyivviii xat 

to tSvog Zct[A.U£si*4, Xtyav livat rma. Uvrov fAzyuv. 

Versio Vulgata Latina. 

Vir autem quidam nomine Simon, qui ante fuerat in civitate mag- 
»us, seducens gentem Samaria, dicens se esse aliquem magnum. 

Actus Apostolorum, c. 8, 9. 

There is no word here that signifiei bewitched: the proper 
meaning of must be, « surprising or astonishing.” 


4 


so 


Indeed, if ye will peruse the history of this man 
with due attention, even as it stands in your 
own bihles, ye will not be at a loss to dis¬ 
cover whether his performances were natural 
or preternatural. How came he to be so much 
surprised at seeing Philip heal the sick, and 
make the lame walk? how came he to offer 
money for a certain power he saw Philip com¬ 
municating, by the laying on of hands, if he 
already possessed a power, equally miraculous 
according to his account, and your belief, 
though derived from a different source: and 
which answered his purpose so well, that all 
“ from the least to the greatest gave heed to 
“ him?”The answer is ready —his performances, 
were tricks and deceptions—the Apostle’s , were 
miracles: the one astonished; the other con* 
verted the people of Samaria. 

A little farther on in the book of the Acts, 
ye find the history of a damsel, “ possessed 
“ with the spirit of divination which brought 
“her masters much gain by soothsaying,” and 
ye conclude, that this spirit was certainly lent, 
or sold to her by the devil. Here, unfortu¬ 
nately, ye err again, forgetting that it is no 
part of the devil’s office to do good. For, if 
this damsel by some previous information 
guarded her consulters against impending ill, 
or directed them how to obtain certain ad¬ 
vantages which otherwise they could never 


* 


have enjoyed, and at the same time brought 
her masters much gain—if all this was done at 
the instance or appointment of the devil, surely 
he ought not to be esteemed the enemy, but 
the benefactor of mankind. 

Ye will easily understand the meaning of 
a <c spirit of divination”, or soothsaying, if 
ye will reflect, that a man is said to be pos¬ 
sessed with a spirit of pride, or a spirit of 
covetousness, or a spirit of malevolence, when 
he is proud, or covetous, or mischievous. If 
such a man suddenly changes his conduct, 
and becomes the reverse of what he was be¬ 
fore, it is immediately said, he has got rid of 
the evil spirit that possessed him. In like 
manner this damsel, having a great share of 
quickness and understanding, and a corres¬ 
ponding inclination for the pythonic art, made 
herself a proficient in the science of sooth¬ 
saying, or fortune telling, by means of which 
she cheated the people, and enriched her em¬ 
ployers. But when she saw the miracles of 
Paul and Silas, and compared them with 
her own works of deception, like Simon, she 
was amazed, aud cried out, ‘‘ these men are 
4t the servants of the most high God, which 
“ shew unto us the way of salvation.” Then, 
Paul, being touched with compassion, benevo¬ 
lently wrought a very great miracle in her 
behalf—he cured her, at a words speaking, of 


32 


every vicious habit and evil inclination, com¬ 
pletely destroyed her fondness for the art 
of divination, and opened to her the gate of 
everlasting life. 

Before I conclude, I cannot help taking 
notice of a circumstance, which strongly marks 
capriciousness, inconsistency, and folly. If 
a person comes amongst you, and gives out, 
like the magician of Samaria, that he can 
perform wonders, can tell you what is to hap¬ 
pen, can inform you how to recover some 
property ye have lost or been defrauded of, can 
sell you an amulet—ye never think of enfor¬ 
cing the laws of God, or of your country 
against such a man—-no: ye are delighted to 
hear of his arrival: ye flock in crowds to do 
him homage, and rob yourselves and families 
of part of a week’s hard earnings, to consult 
him, to have your fortunes told, or to pur¬ 
chase a charm to preserve you harmless in 
the hour of danger. Ye know full well, that 
God commanded his people, to put every person 
of this description to death—Ye know that 
the laws of your country condemn all such 
impostors; but ye neither fear God, nor re¬ 
gard man. Ye invert the rule of just living; 
ye encourage the guilty, and punish the in¬ 
nocent ; ye raise the cry of witchcraft against 
a person, who never pretended to practise a 
single art of the sorcerer, juggler, or fortune- 


S3 


teller; whose only offence is, that the heavy 
hand of time has engraven deep furrows in 
her face, and silvered her head with grey; 
ye blow loud blasts with the trumpet of rage, 
drag her from her humble retreat, and sacri¬ 
fice her upon the bloody altar of phrensy, 
raised high in air upon the lofty pillars of 
superstition and ignorance, cruelty and re¬ 
venge. Fanatics may encourage your attend¬ 
ance on these savage rites, by not properly 
discountenancing your wickedness—they may 
spread wide the net of destruction for you— 
they may daringly challenge the God of heaven, 
and tell you, “ that blood calls not for 
blood” (9)—but let not the ministers of our 
national religion, keep silence, let not them re¬ 
strain their virtuous indignation at such mon¬ 
strous iniquity, lest the very stones of the street 
should open their mouths, and cry out—“ his 
“ watchmen are blind—they are all ignorant— 
“ they are dumb dogs—they cannot bark—sleep- 
“ ing, lying down, loving to slumber”*—they 

( 9 ) 

Great Paxton abounds with fanatics. “ Supposing Ann 
Izzard (the reputed witch) to have been killed on Sunday night 
by the persons who attacked her,” said one of them to me, “ I do 
not see of what use it would be to take their lives.” This may 
be the doctrine of the conventicle, but it is not agreeable to that 
law of God which says, “ whoso sheddeth man’s blood, by man 

shall his blood be shed.” Genesis, c. 9. v. 6. 

* Isaiah, c. 56, v. 10. 


34 


bear the name, but are not worthy to be called 
the servants of God. 

Christians—Every particle of your system 
of witch err; ft vanishes in the presence of ge¬ 
nuine scripture. There is not in the original, 
a single sentence—no, not a single Word, 
from which it is possible to infer, that there 
ever was, at any period of the world, a human 
creature, who possessed a preternatural power 
derived from the devil: nor is there tlieleast fount 
dation in it for believing there ever existed 
such a thing as a “ witch” or a “ wizard,” 
in the acceptation of the terms generally ad¬ 
mitted and received amongst you. Egypt, 
Israel, Greece, and Rome, always had their ma¬ 
gicians, necromancers, ventriloquists, and sooth¬ 
sayers; all nor more, nor less, than so many 
vile impostors—the workers of “ lying won¬ 
ders:” and the mere counterparts of the pre¬ 
sent jugglers, enchanters, and fortune-tellers, 
of China, Lapland, and England: but, not 
one of these countries ever had in her bosom 
a prophet, or an agent of the devil, who 
could unfold the secrets of time, or by in¬ 
explicable and invisible means could injure 
the health or property of his fellow creatures* 
Independent of there being no grounds in un¬ 
adulterated scripture for an opinion so absurd 
and pagan-like, there cannot be a greater re¬ 
flection cast upon the character of God, than 


35 


to say he permits one person to hold such 
an abominable, such a monstrous power over 
another. It is a charge, that strikes directly 
at his best attributes: instead of 
love, benevolence, and justice, it 
the bloody likeness of Moloch—it 
delight in wanton mischief and barbarous 
cruelty, and rejoice when his creatures are 
wretched. 7 / 

May sentiments more worthy of those who 
profess the name of Christ, and more honor¬ 
able to the Deity, and his equitable govern¬ 
ment of the world, from this time, fill your 
hearts, and produce a corresponding change 
in your future behaviour! May no groundless 
fancies, no ill-founded prejudice ever again 
induce you to prefer an unjusi accusation 
against any of your inoffensive neighbours, 
which may ruin their peace of mind, and en¬ 
danger the safety of their lives! May a more 
enlightened principle be the constant guide 
of your actions, lest hereafter ye should he 
excluded from the presence of God and the 
happiness of heaven with these severe, but 
merited remarks, annexed to your righteous 
sentence of condemnation: “ ye hardened your 
hearts—ye scornfully refused to listen to in¬ 
struction”— “ ye loved darkness, rather than 
light, because your deeds were evil.” 


God of 
gives him 
makes him 


Til S JSND. 


At the JssizSp? for the County of Huntingdon, on Monday, 
August 8 thy 1808, a Bill of Indictment teas preferred against 
Joseph Harper, James Staughton, Thomas Braybrook, Mary 
Amey, Fanny Amey, and Alice Brown, for an assault on the 
persons of Wri^ Izzard and Ann Izzard, of Great Paxton in 
the said County , in the night of Sunday, May 8th, 1808. 

Another Bill of Indictment was preferred against Edivard 
Briers, James Staughton, Mary Hook, and Mary Fox, for an 
Assault on the same Persons in the evening of Monday, May 9th, 
1803. The same were found to be true bills by the grand jury. 
The indictments were then traversed, and the offending parties 
bound over to keep the peace, and to appear at the next assizes 
at Huntingdon. 



The friends of order and humanity are under very consider* 
able obligation to Henry Pointer Standly, Esq. of Little Paxton, 
for his timely interference and exertions in the cause of Wright 
Izzard and his wife: by his superior discernment and able ma¬ 
nagement, the violent prejudice that has been excited against these 
unfortunate people , through the insidious artifices of their ene¬ 
mies, will be ultimately counteracted—ample justice will be done 
them—and the zvelfare and interest of society will be greatly ad - 
vanced and promoted. 


67 4 m 

- . -r-irT-rw-T; , i »- 


G, Woodfall, Printer, 
Paternoster-row. 








































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